Chapter 352 — A Single Sword Stuns the Age

The headman blinked, then probed, "Is he also surnamed Shen.

. . " The Secluded Hermit sneered, "Yes, he is indeed surnamed Shen. Is Shen Chongming also an Overlord Body?

Elder Brother, you puzzle me. We of the Lesser Jade Capital have never heard of any Overlord Body.

How can you be so certain such a thing exists in this world?

" The headman's heart stirred, his doubts still not dispelled. He shook his head. "I only wonder why a deity from the Land of No Sorrow would come to the Lesser Jade Capital. " "That senior was himself one of the founders of the Lesser Jade Capital. " The Secluded Hermit said, "From the records of the Lesser Jade Capital, I learned that he once made the Pact of the Earth Earl with another. Later he resolved to break that pact.

There were things he had to do, and so his primal spirit was taken by the Earth Earl, leaving only his body behind. Before his death, he transformed his divine storehouses into seven divine halls. His intent was deep: even in death, he wanted these seven halls to remain and nurture those who came after.

" The headman looked toward the Three Primes Hall and said doubtfully, "Seven divine halls? Apart from the Three Primes Hall and the Five Qi Hall, are there also the Seven Stars Hall, the Heaven-Man Hall, the Life-and-Death Hall, and the Spirit Bridge Hall?

Why do I not see the others? " "Inside the human body the seven divine storehouses are one whole, and naturally the seven halls are one whole as well. The other halls all lie within this Three Primes Hall. " The Secluded Hermit said, "Just now you said that since I had already opened the Three Primes Hall and the Five Qi Hall, why not open the halls in one go. In truth, my Lesser Jade Capital does not have the power to open them either. This deity from the Land of No Sorrow hides many secrets. Whether a hall can be opened is not for me to decide. The Elder of the Three Primes and the Elder of the Five Qi in my Lesser Jade Capital can only open the Three Primes Hall and the Five Qi Hall; the other hall cannot be opened. My Lesser Jade Capital is short of people.

If the old Daoist Master and the old Tathagata were added, there would be enough, but the two of them have only just arrived and still need time to become familiar with the hall. " The old immortals of the Lesser Jade Capital numbered only a dozen or more. Opening the hall required six supreme experts, and the Seven Stars Hall required seven beings of their level, so the Lesser Jade Capital was even more shorthanded.

"I said you were stingy, but not so stingy as to treat someone from the Land of No Sorrow like this. So that's the reason," the headman said with a smile.

The Secluded Hermit snorted coldly. "Everything about this deity has been refined to the level of a god: sacred pupils, divine hands, divine legs, a divine body. Not only that, his primal spirit has reached an extremely pure state, and his magical power is vast enough to be godlike. His wisdom is godlike as well! Elder Brother, if the Human Sovereign chooses to break through via the Three Primes, I fear he will gain nothing at all. " The headman pondered for a moment and said slowly, "His magical power is also at a god's level?

Then Shen'er has truly met his match. " The Secluded Hermit was puzzled.

The headman said flatly, "We old relics of Hidden Remnant Village each have our own strengths.

In some respects, the nine of us have reached the realm of gods, but not one of us has reached the divine level in magical power. Yet Shen'er's primal qi is vast enough to reach that level. Although his cultivation realm has not caught up, the sheer depth of his magical power leaves others unable to catch up even at a gallop. If there is anyone under heaven who can command godlike magical power, it is certainly not Imperial Teacher Jingping. It can only be Shen'er. " The Secluded Hermit also knew how fearsome Shen Mu's cultivation was. "You said earlier that his sword art still has many flaws, and that if he met someone with greater insight, he would not even know how he died. I think he has already met such a person.

" The headman's heart shook. "Is this deity also a Sword God? " The Secluded Hermit nodded with an ambiguous smile. "Elder Brother, can you now tell me what the Overlord Body is all about?

" The headman smiled slightly and said leisurely, "The Overlord Body is unique, surpassing the Four Great Spirit Bodies; it is the rarest physique under heaven.

Once one Overlord Body appears in this world, a second cannot exist. But false Overlord Bodies will appear, contending for the fate of the true Overlord Body.

. . " Inside the Three Primes Hall. Shen Mu stepped out and charged straight toward the youthful deity.

His strides were heavy and solid but extremely fast.

Wherever his foot landed, soil flew up and the earth shook like waves. Dirt and broken stones no sooner floated up than they were melted.

Some became earthen swords in midair, some became stone swords; stones that held metal were smelted and refined into sharp flying swords. Fusing artifact-forging into battle was Shen Mu's unique skill. The Silent Craftsman had never taught him, but applying what he learned on the spot had always been his strength.

He could not use the primal weapons he had brought with him here, so he would forge them on the spot! Once the two were about a hundred zhang apart, Shen Mu already had a hundred or more flying swords around him.

At the same time, he unleashed his sword art.

The moment he struck, it was Sword-Treading Mountains and Rivers! Heroic passion surged in his chest.

Can a god be felled?

His reply was: Yes!

His sword-light exploded. Flying sword after flying sword shot at the youthful deity, flashing brilliantly, but a hundred blades were too few. Sword-light burst from his body to make up for what the flying swords lacked.

He dashed forward, and Sword-Treading Mountains and Rivers spread out before him, peaks and streams surging onward like an unrolling painting. In this strike he drew on every insight he had gained—the headman's teaching, Imperial Teacher Jingping's enlightenment, Qin Hanzhen's guidance—and fused it all into the sword. The sword-light's power erupted. It was his strongest move.

Even the second strike of the Sword Diagram, One Sword Cleaving a Sea of Sovereign Blood, was no match for it, because he had put all his mind into Sword-Treading Mountains and Rivers and refined it more than anything else. Compared with the version the headman had taught him, this strike had nearly doubled in power. On the opposing side, sword-light also burst from the youthful deity's fingers and palms. Countless beams flew at him.

Shen Mu was briefly startled, then at once saw the secret. "The sword art of the Land of No Sorrow!

He is from the Land of No Sorrow! " He had no time to think further.

Their sword arts finally collided, and countless beams of sword-light swallowed them both.

All the might concealed in the towering mountains and rivers was unleashed, while the power of the Land of No Sorrow's sword art also surged wildly! The Elder of the Three Primes stood above the sun, the moon, and the high mountains and looked down. He saw the mountains and rivers collapse in an instant, and then boundless energy burst outward, swelling like two blindingly bright spheres.

"Magnificent," the True Man of Heaven Origin marveled from within the great sun. When the power of those two moves had spent itself, Shen Mu and the youthful deity were blasted backward and crashed to the ground. Their bodies still could not stop rolling backward, like rag dolls tumbling down a slope, arms and legs flailing helplessly.

Smack— Shen Mu was pressed against a cliff.

Sword wounds burst open across his body, and his blood smeared plum-blossom marks on the rock. "My sword art. . .

" Shen Mu coughed blood and slid slowly down the cliff.

With a thud, he sat on the ground, the shock on his face impossible to hide. "I lost.

.